I was at K-mart today and scored a few good deals.  I found 11-inch dinner plates by Country Living, $5 for 4 plates.  I picked up 8 plates and 3 dark red bowles also by Country Living for $1.50 each.  I then went to Family Dollar and got 2 casual knit dresses and a camisole for $15. 

I need a new beach towel but I am too cheap to pay $15 for a towel, so I will wait until the end of the season when they are maked down to their lowest price.   All in all a good shopping day!

Thrift Store Finds!

I woke up this morning and decided to go thrift store shopping.  I love the idea of that hidden treasure just waiting to be found.  I found the cutest little metal tea/coffee pot.  It is orange with a black handle, looks like it has never been used.  For $3.00 I just couldn't pass it up.  I also found a miniture crock pot that will be great for keeping sauces and dips hot. 

 I also got a nice tablecloth, six books (2 for me and 4 for my nine year old), two pillow cases, two yards of cotton with violet flowers, not sure what I am going to do with it yet, just liked it.  Cost for everything was less than ten dollars.  I call that a sucessful shopping day!

Patio Fountain

The fountain turned out a little different than what I had planned.  My container was too small, so I had to find a large planter that would hold the amount of water I needed for the size pump I bought.  It is not horrible, but maybe I will "tweak it" later.

My plants are getting bigger.  I will try to get some pictures of them this weekend to post.







Spring Fever has hit!

I know it is only March, but I have a bad case of spring fever! Here in Florida it is already hitting 80 degrees in the afternoon.  We had a very mild winter, and the azaleas are already blooming!   So in the spirit of warmer days and mild evenings, I decided it was time to start work on getting my patio ready for summer.

 I have a screened in patio on the second floor but I am already getting my tomatoes, strawberry, lettuce and zuchinni plants ready.  Here's hoping the zuchinni don't take over the patio!

I have also decided that a water fountain would be a nice feature for the patio.  I found a molded plastic garden urn at a local thrift store for the main feature of the fountain.  I medium sized plastic pot from the dollar store along with some decorative stones.  I drilled a hole in the back of the urn for the water tubing to go through.  I checked my local hardware stores and Wal-mart for a submersible pump but the only size they carried was for ponds, so I ordered one on-line.  The pump should be in this week and I will be able to finish my fountain this weekend.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo book

I loved this book!  I finished it yesterday and I have to say that it is one of the best books I have read in a while.  It kept me intriqued and fascinated.  The plot was fantastic! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.  I am really looking forward to the movie in December now.

Reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I have just started reading the book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson.  I have seen the previews for the movie and it looks good, but I want to read the book before I see the movie.  I'll give my review of the book when I have finished reading it and then my review of the movie in December.  I have a dog eared copy I borrowed from the library.  I would like to try out a reading tablet someday, but there is just something about having the book in my hand, flipping back and forth through the pages, with a good cup of earl grey tea and a throw blanket that I don't want to give up just yet. Of course the only thing I would really be giving up is the paper book, the tea and throw blanket stays!

Breakfast on the run

I am one of those people that doesn't take the time to sit down and eat breakfast before going to work.  I l have a 20 minute commute, so I eat breakfast in the car.  I started making my own breakfast burritos and freezing them.  I like them much better than store bought ones or going through a drive through, which can get expensive if you eat out everyday.

I make my breakfast burritos with lean ground turkey, scrambled eggs, chopped peppers, cheese and a little salsa.  I lay them out on a pan after rolling them and freeze them before transferring them to freezer bags, that way they don't stick together inside the freezer bag.  1 minute in the microwave, wrap it in a linen napkin (home made of course) and I am off to work.

My son will get these out of the freezer, microwave it and have it for a after-school snack. 

I make them on the weekend and freeze enough to last the week.